Jamaican batsman talks about why he is confident returning to international cricket after a three-year hiatus

Matt Roller08-Jun-2020When Jermaine Blackwood pushed James Tredwell down the ground to bring up his maiden Test hundred in 2015, it seemed unthinkable that five years later it would remain his only one. Then 23, Blackwood batted with maturity and style, holding West Indies’ innings together and earning admiration from Viv Richards along the way.And yet two-and-a-half years later, he found himself out of the team. His batting, once so fluent, had become frenetic, and after 15 runs across five innings, the selectors felt that they had seen enough.Now, after spending the best part of three years out of the side – albeit with one appearance as a concussion substitute last year – Blackwood finds himself back in the picture, part of the 14-man squad that is scheduled to leave for England on Monday. The absence of two middle-order batsmen in the shape of Darren Bravo and Shimron Hetmyer means there is every chance Blackwood will be handed the opportunity to nail down a spot for the long term.”Right now, it’s a more determined Jermaine Blackwood and a more focused Jermaine Blackwood,” he told ESPNcricinfo before leaving Jamaica last Friday. “Being dropped helped me to go back and work on my game and my mental space, and to come back strong.”It wasn’t anything too much to do with the technical aspect of batting, just some little tweaks. But the mental side, I had to change a bit. I did a lot of reading just to help my mental space going forward. That’s really helped me.”ALSO READ: ‘Test cricket is what you want to play to be great’ – ThomasIt did indeed, as Blackwood was the top run-maker in the West Indies Championships (four-day tournament) which had to be abandoned after eight rounds in March due to the Covid-19 pandemic.”In the regional four-day [competition] in the Caribbean I scored some runs, and I batted some time too. That’s the new way going forward for me, just to bat as long as possible,” he said.In fact, “some runs” is an understatement. Blackwood piled on 768 of them in his 15 first-class innings for Jamaica, including a maiden double hundred against Leeward Islands in his most recent innings.”[He] returns by sheer weight of performance in the domestic first-class season,” Roger Harper, West Indies’ chairman of selectors, said on Blackwood’s selection. “His patience and application were evident and that resulted in much greater consistency.”That word, patience, is one that Blackwood focuses on. On West Indies’ most recent visit to England, it was something that his batting lacked: in the Edgbaston Test, he thrashed an unbeaten 79 off 76 balls in the first innings as everything crumbled around him, before a blitzkrieg 41 dragged them towards victory in the memorable Headingley run chase. But at Lord’s things caught up with him: he was bowled swinging wildly across the line in the first innings, and caught behind fending away from his body in the second. Two Tests later, he was the fall guy.”It’s about patience for me, spending lots of time in the middle,” he said. “That don’t say if I get a bad ball I won’t put it to the boundary. I don’t change too much of my shot selection. It’s just staying a bit more patient, batting a lot of deliveries – trying to bat for a whole day, or a day-and-a-half.”Since the domestic season was curtailed, most cricketers around the world have struggled for motivation, doing their best to stay fit despite the constraints of a lockdown. But for Blackwood, it has been an opportunity to get ahead.Jermaine Blackwood lays into a pull shot•Getty Images

Blackwood lives ten minutes away from Andre Russell in the Jamaican capital, Kingston. The proximity has come in handy during the pandemic as Blackwood said the pair had been training “very hard – two times a day” at the nets in Russell’s back yard to keep themselves active.”We’ve been working consistently, in the gym and in the nets as well. He’s basically my mentor,” Blackwood explains. “We talk a lot about cricket and stuff. He’s helped me through this period [out of the team] as well.”I’m always up there, every day at his house. He’s like my brother – I can stay there any time I want. We’re very competitive: sometimes he gets me out, sometimes I hit him for a few sixes. And he pushes me in the gym to get even stronger, to lift heavier weights, and running as well.”He’s just a great human being, a great person. Seeing the way he goes out and puts in performances game after game in T20s, I just want to be like him, but in Test cricket: going out there and putting in performances consistently.”Despite the daunting task of an England tour, Blackwood remains confident. He is one of six players in the West Indies squad for the England series who spent six weeks in the country in 2018 as part of an A tour, and suggests that the experience will stand the squad in good stead.”I think it’ll be good fun for us,” Blackwood said. “England have one of the best bowling attacks in the world, but I’m always up for the challenge: I like to go out there and challenge the best in the world. I want to get runs against the best.”Jimmy Anderson is very good – a great bowler over the years, then you have Stuart Broad, Ben Stokes is a good bowler, Jofra Archer is just coming onto the scene… it’s a good attack. But I don’t think we’re coming over there to lose. We’re coming over to win. That’s our mentality coming to England.”

NZ batsman could be a handful of overseas players in competition

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jul-2020Worcestershire have announced that Hamish Rutherford will fly to England to play for them in the T20 Blast this year, but have cancelled Ashton Turner’s contract to play in the competition.Rutherford had initially signed to play all formats this summer, but will only play in the Blast after the postponement of so much of the county season. The ECB will announce which formats will be played next week, but it is anticipated that the T20 Blast will start in September and run into early October.”It’s been a bitterly frustrating time for anyone in cricket all around the world and it’s no different for Hamish,” said Alex Gidman, Worcestershire’s head coach.”We are looking forward to him coming back. Hamish and Riki Wessels can cause quite a lot of destruction at the top of the order and it’s important for us as a club and as a group of players that we challenge as much as we can in that competition.”It’s something we’ve been successful in for the past two years and, regardless of how that competition looks this year, we want to try and do as well as possible in it.”Rutherford, the New Zealand opening batsman, is set to be one of only a handful of overseas players in the Blast this season, with most signings cancelled in order to cut costs or due to clashes with revised international fixtures or the start of the Australian domestic season. Northants remain hopeful that Paul Stirling will be available to play for them, while Birmingham Bears are optimistic about their chances of getting Chris Green over, since he does not have a state contract.Paul Pridgeon, the chair of Worcestershire’s cricket steering group, confirmed that Turner’s deal with the county was off. “Because of the change from the original T20 dates, Ashton would not be available for the entire competition because he would be required to return for practice by his state side,” he said.

Head coach hails persistence of pace attack as late wickets put West Indies on top

Matt Roller11-Jul-2020West Indies head coach Phil Simmons hailed his bowling attack’s persistence and patience after five late wickets put his team into the driving seat against England.When Zak Crawley and Ben Stokes combined for a fluent partnership of 98, the bulk of which were made after the tea interval, it had looked as though the game was drifting away from West Indies, who had managed only three wickets in the day. But after Jason Holder removed Stokes for the second time in the match, Alzarri Joseph and Shannon Gabriel took two wickets apiece in quick spells which seemed to vindicate Holder’s emphasis on discipline and patience throughout the match.”It showed the persistence of the bowlers,” Simmons said. “We’d been fighting all day and Stokes and Zak started to take the bowling apart. But the persistence of Jason [was rewarded] and then Alzarri’s spell was a huge spell too.ALSO READ: Late burst from WI seamers hits England hopes“I’m extremely pleased with the way the bowlers bowled today – both when two batters [Rory Burns and Dom Sibley] batted before lunch and more so when Stokes and Crawley were trying to take it away from us.”The patience we exhibited has been something that we’ve been asking for for a while, and today it showed up. We bore the fruit of that in the evening session. You can’t really say much more – they stuck to their tasks.”In particular, the flurry of wickets before the close seemed to reward Holder’s sparing use of his two strike bowlers earlier in the day.While it would have been tempting to throw Gabriel and Joseph the ball and ask them to target England’s top three with bouncers, Holder instead split the bulk of the workload between the relentless Kemar Roach, himself, and offspinner Roston Chase, choking England’s scoring on a slow pitch.That meant that Joseph had bowled only 11 of the day’s 80 overs when he returned to bowl with the second new ball still offering movement, and the rewards were immediate: his was the fastest spell of the innings, and accounted for both Crawley – caught and bowled in his follow-through – and Buttler, who was bowled through the gate.Gabriel, too, was fresh upon his return after only 12 overs in the day, and twice beat Dom Bess in the off-stump channel in the first over of his spell before knocking out his off pole in his second. Four balls later, he got one to lift from a length which Ollie Pope only managed to chop on, leaving England eight wickets down with a slender lead of 165.Shannon Gabriel successfully appeals for the wicket of Dom Sibley•Getty Images

Simmons said that there had not been a specific plan to leave some energy in the tank moving into the final hour, but hailed Holder’s management of his bowlers throughout the match so far.”It’s just how the captain sees it when he’s out there,” Simmons said. “That’s just the way he rotated his bowlers today, and it worked well for us in the end.”When [Alzarri] is bowling like he bowled this evening here, he’s always going to be a threat to any batting line-up we play against. That’s the thought we are trying to get in his head: that this is the type of spell we want from him and need from him.”Part of Test cricket is about patience, especially when you have wickets like this to play on, and it’s something that we’ve been working on hard – not getting bored at doing the simple things and the basic things for a while to put people under pressure. I’m glad to see it’s working, and guys are thinking about what we’ve been working on.”Simmons gave further praise to Gabriel, who has now taken seven wickets in his first first-class appearance since last September following a long ankle lay-off.”It shows his desire to play for West Indies, coming back from ankle surgery and doing all the hard work he’s done. Even during lockdown in Trinidad, he was finding ways to train to get himself fit for this series. You can only compliment him.”I’m sure that Jason is happy to have him, Roach is happy to have him as an opening partner, and Alzarri is coming up with them. It’s great to see the combination and how they’re working together. That’s the important thing, how they bowl together and it’s showing and it’s improving.”As for the fourth innings, Simmons suggested that the benefit of late wickets was that it meant there would be little in the way of scoring pressure on his batsmen.”We’ve got to get the two wickets, and whatever is put in front of us, we have a day to bat. The confidence from the way we batted and the attitude towards batting in the first innings is going to be a huge plus for us when we bat in the second innings.”Whether we’re chasing 170 or 190, it’s going to be the same attitude that we need to chase it. I have confidence in that.”

Veteran offspinner Gareth Batty takes 3 for 18 before Foakes leads recovery from early stumble

ECB Reporters Network05-Sep-2020Ben Foakes and Jamie Smith put together a high-quality unbroken 93-run stand as Surrey beat London rivals Middlesex by six wickets in an otherwise unexpectedly low-scoring affair at The Oval to go second in the Vitality Blast’s South Group.Foakes made 60 not out and Smith an unbeaten 38 in a calm and assured fifth wicket partnership to steer Surrey past Middlesex’s 113 for 9 with an ultimately comfortable 11 balls to spare.Earlier in the day Kent’s batsmen had pummeled 192 for 6 on the same pitch, in a victory against Essex which saw 355 runs scored, but under lights the second part of Sky Sports’ double-header was for long periods a totally different spectacle.On a sluggish pitch taking spin, Middlesex struggled badly against Surrey’s trio of slow bowlers but, when Surrey replied, they were also soon 23 for 4 as paceman Steven Finn removed Will Jacks and Laurie Evans in his first two overs and legspinner Nathan Sowter then sent back Hashim Amla and Rory Burns in a dramatic fifth over.Foakes, however, hit eight fours in a 50-ball knock full of Test-class strokes on both sides of the wicket, and 20-year-old Smith was almost as good with four boundaries in his 35-ball effort. At halfway, Surrey still had a bit to do at 55 for 4 but Foakes and Smith were more than equal to the challenge in a controlled exhibition of batting under pressure.Still got it – Gareth Batty, who turns 43 next month, belts out an appeal•Getty Images

Earlier Gareth Batty, Surrey’s 42-year-old captain, picked up 3 for 18 with his offspin, while Jacks took 2 for 16 and did not concede a single boundary in his four overs of offbreaks.Slow left-armer Dan Moriarty was wicketless but bowled tidily, as did left-arm seamer Reece Topley with 1 for 21, while 22-year-old fast bowler Gus Atkinson was also impressive with 2 for 18 from three overs.Middlesex, after choosing to bat, got off to a poor start with Stevie Eskinazi bowled for 2 by one that turned from Jacks, trying to flail a ball through the off side in the second over.Martin Andersson, who straight drove Atkinson’s first ball beautifully for four, then drove all round the seamer’s second delivery and was bowled for 7 to leave Middlesex 15 for 2 in the fourth overOnly a wild first over by Jamie Overton, costing 14 and in which Max Holden carved a no ball full toss for four and also pulled fiercely to the boundary, helped Middlesex get to 39 for 2 by the end of the Powerplay – but the innings then fell away badly as the Surrey spinners tightened the noose. Left-hander Holden, having reached a run-a-ball 29, chopped on against Jacks and Batty’s introduction for the 11th over suddenly left Middlesex in real trouble at 63 for 5 as 20-year-old debutant Jack Davies mishit a reverse sweep to point to go for 16 and James Harris was leg-before for 2.Worse was to follow in Batty’s second over when Dan Lincoln pulled a short ball to deep mid wicket and from 75 for 6, Middlesex limped into three figures as catches in the deep, off Topley and Atkinson respectively, undid both John Simpson and Luke Hollman before Sowter was run out for 3 in the final over attempting a second run to Moriarty’s partial misfield at short fine leg.Sowter’s evening did get better later when former South Africa star Amla chipped a return catch to him off a leading edge and Burns was leg-before for 0 two balls later, sweeping.With Finn having hit Jacks a painful blow on the hand, which needed on-field treatment, prior to getting him caught at mid-on for 4 off a skier, and then foxing Evans with a slower ball, Surrey were suddenly up against it.Foakes and Smith, though, showed that batting was still very possible even though Sowter finished with 2 for 16 and Finn 2 for 21.

PCA Young Player of the Year reveals ambition to make impact across all formats

Matt Roller04-Oct-2020Zak Crawley has revealed his intentions to play limited-overs cricket for England after a breakthrough Test summer, but accepts that he will have to bang the door down by scoring heavily over the next few seasons to secure a place in the “phenomenal” white-ball sides.Crawley, voted PCA Young Player of the Year by his peers after racking up 417 Test runs this summer – including a watershed 267 in the third Test against Pakistan – scored his first T20 hundred in September, and his overall white-ball numbers are impressive at this stage of his fledgling career.He is set to be confirmed as London Spirit’s centrally-contracted Test player in the Hundred next week after winning a red-ball England deal for 2020-21, and said that scoring heavily in that competition would help him press his case for inclusion.”I would certainly love to play in the white-ball stuff, but it’s a phenomenal team,” Crawley said. “There are some great players who aren’t in the squad either, who are all trying to get in. It’s going to require a lot of runs on my part, but I am going to do my best to score those runs.”It all depends on how many runs I can score for Kent in white-ball cricket. Hopefully the Hundred goes ahead next year and if I can score some good runs in that over the coming years, who knows down the line?”Crawley insisted that Test cricket remains that “most important” format as far as he was concerned, but conceded that other young players may no longer share that view, with the opportunity to play in short-form tournaments around the world as well as for their counties.With Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow and – in T20 – Jos Buttler secure in their roles, and so many talented top-order batsmen waiting in the wings, Crawley also said that he had viewed the Test XI as the easiest one to get into – though that may have changed with Rory Burns and Dom Sibley also securing central contracts last week and nailing down their places.”It was probably the easiest side to get into out of the three,” he said. “It’s still obviously not easy to get into the Test side, but it probably did seem like the most doable at that time. It was always a big goal of mine to play Test cricket as well.”For me, it’s the best format: other people’s opinions change but for me, it’s the most important format and it was definitely something I always wanted to do. When you’re a young kid, you always talk about playing Test cricket; the white-ball stuff comes after that, maybe, in your thought process.”It might have changed [for other players] now, to be honest. Winning the World Cup last year, that looked like a good time to be round the England squad so maybe views have changed now – maybe that might have taken over.”The way T20 has really built the game up again, the IPL – unfortunately we missed out on the Hundred this year [but] these are great things to be part of. Maybe young cricketers might be more enticed by that, and I wouldn’t blame them, but for me, Test cricket is still number one.”Reflecting on his summer – and his award – Crawley said that he felt as though he had been pushed on account of the competition for places within the England side, among young players in particular.”It’s really special,” he said. “If you had asked me in March or April if we were going to have a season, I’d have probably said no. so to get the summer we have had and thankfully to get some runs has been great.”It’s great to have such great young players around – I definitely feel like it pushes me on as a player. You can’t help but try and compare yourself to your peers, but obviously there are some young lads who have been having some unbelievable years.”That’s definitely made me want to work harder, and made me want to catch them up. That’s all I’ve tried to do. Long may it continue that we have a really strong young group of cricketers in the country: it’s good for the whole game in general that we keep pushing each other forward.”

“My hands were a little bit tied and I would have liked to have had a bit more of an influence on the team,” he adds

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Oct-2020Shane Warne, Rajasthan Royals’ mentor and brand ambassador, has said that Jos Buttler “should definitely be opening” the batting for the franchise, having shifted down into the middle order for their last three games.Rajasthan have used five different opening pairs in the tournament to date, with Robin Uthappa and Ben Stokes combining at the top since their game against the Royal Challengers Bangalore on October 17. That has meant Buttler moving into the middle order – a role he had filled only once in all T20 cricket since midway through the 2018 IPL season – where he has so far posted scores of 24, 70* and 9.Warne, whose involvement with the team management has been reduced this season, said that he thought using Buttler as a middle-order floater was a mistake, and that the Royals should revert to using him at the top of the order alongside Steven Smith – as they did in three of their first four games.”I think Buttler should definitely be opening,” Warne told Sky Sports’ IPL Cricket Show in the UK. “I think Ben Stokes can do a job opening the batting, but I would like Ben in the middle overs – that’s where he has played all of his cricket and done really well.”That’s not to say he [Stokes] can’t open, but Jos Buttler to me – if you’re picking a world XI, the first one pencilled in is at the top of the order, No. 1, [is] Buttler. I’m not sure why they’ve gone away from that. I think Jos has to bat at the top. I think Steven Smith should be the guy that’s the backbone of the team in their batting, so he should probably open as well with Buttler, and then you’ve got Sanju Samson, Stokes – that’s one to four, then guys like [Rahul] Tewatia who’s done really well, [and] young Riyan Parag at five and six.Warne suggested that the Royals’ think-tank had over-complicated things while trying to make up for senior players’ lack of form, and said they should return to the simple T20 mantra that teams should put their best batsmen at the top of the order to ensure they can face as many balls as possible.”As the wickets are getting slower as the tournament goes on, and the bowlers are getting so good now, the faster bowlers at the back end, you’ve got to maximise that powerplay,” Warne said. “The best players bat all the way through, or they bat to the 16th, 17th and make a hundred.”I think if you bat Jos Buttler in the middle overs, it’s that juggling act about when does he go in, how many balls does he face, and then you might get stuck like the other day. There’s only 120 balls: if Jos Buttler can face 50 or 60 of those balls, which is half, then I know he’s going to make a lot of runs.”So I want him up the top, it’s as simple as that, otherwise you can complicate it too much and say back end, he’s got all the shots and improvisation – well, in this tournament, your best players have to perform, and if they don’t perform you’re going to struggle.”That’s what Andrew McDonald, the coach, and the leaders of that team are trying to fix – all the spots that aren’t working. But as I tried to say to them: just get your best players to face the most amount of balls [sic], and if they don’t, you’re going to struggle a bit.”Warne spent some of the tournament in the UAE, but was largely seen speaking to franchise stakeholders in the stands rather than joining the rest of the Royals’ coaching staff in the dugout. He voiced some frustration at his lack of involvement with the team’s management, suggesting that his “hands were a little bit tied”.”My role was team mentor and brand ambassador, and I think they wanted me to do more of the brand ambassador stuff, talk to people in the stands. I wasn’t involved in the dugout, I wasn’t involved in debriefings, I wasn’t involved in any of that stuff.”I attended training – the coach and the captain would come and speak to me and ask for my thoughts and then implement them if they wanted to, or … they didn’t want to. At training I helped the spinners out when I could but they had a spin-bowling coach [Sairaj Bahutule] out there too, so I just worked with him.”I was trying to help out where I can. My hands were a little bit tied and I would have liked to have had a bit more of an influence on the team, but they had other people in charge.”

Four teams, three spots, two games – it’s all going down to the wire

S Rajesh01-Nov-2020Scenario 1Game 1:
Game 2: The Capitals will secure second place with 16 points, but the relatively narrow margin of defeat will ensure that the Royal Challengers will end up with a higher net run rate than Knight Riders. In that case, if Sunrisers win their last game, then Knight Riders will be knocked out.
1. Mumbai Indians, 2. Delhi Capitals, 3. Sunrisers Hyderabad, 4. Royal Challengers BangaloreScenario 2Game 1:
Game 2: The Capitals will still finish second, but the Royal Challengers’ NRR will fall below that of the Knight Riders. In that case, if Sunrisers win on Tuesday, then the Royal Challengers will be knocked out. The Sunrisers will occupy third place because of their higher NRR.
1. Mumbai Indians, 2. Delhi Capitals, 3. Sunrisers Hyderabad, 4. Kolkata Knight RidersScenario 3Game 1:
Game 2: A win for the Royal Challengers on Monday will push them into second place with 16 points, but if the margin is relatively small, then the Capitals will stay ahead of the Knight Riders on NRR. In that situation, if the Sunrisers win on Tuesday, then the Knight Riders will be knocked out.
1. Mumbai Indians, 2. Royal Challengers Bangalore, 3. Sunrisers Hyderabad, 4. Delhi CapitalsThe points table after the weekend double-headers•Getty Images

Scenario 4Game 1:
Game 2: If the Royal Challengers win by 19 or more runs defending 160, or if they chase down the target of 161 within 17.5 overs, then the Capitals’ NRR will fall below that of the Knight Riders. In that case, the fourth playoff place will go to the Knight Riders.
1. Mumbai Indians, 2. Royal Challengers Bangalore, 3. Sunrisers Hyderabad, 4. Kolkata Knight RidersScenario 5Game 1:
Game 2: If the Sunrisers lose to Mumbai Indians, they will be eliminated, and the last four teams will all finish on 12 points. Both the Knight Riders and the Royal Challengers will qualify, with the third and fourth positions depending on the margin of the result of Monday’s game.
1. Mumbai Indians, 2. Delhi Capitals, 3 & 4. Kolkata Knight Riders & Royal Challengers BangaloreScenario 6Game 1:
Game 2: If the Royal Challengers win on Monday and the Sunrisers lose on Tuesday, then the Knight Riders and the Capitals will take third and fourth place, with their respective positions depending on the margin of Monday’s result.In the case of the last two scenarios, the top four teams on the points table will be the same as the ones who occupied those slots at the halfway stage of the tournament. After 28 games, the top four, in that order, were Mumbai Indians, Capitals, Royal Challengers, and Knight Riders.
1. Mumbai Indians, 2. Royal Challengers, 3 & 4. Kolkata Knight Riders & Delhi Capitals

Niroshan Dickwella’s return to form secured a thrilling nine-run win for his side

Madushka Balasuriya05-Dec-2020How the game played outThe Dambulla Viiking withstood game-changing innings from Danushka Gunathilaka and Azam Khan, as well as a host of dropped catches, to eventually secure a hard-fought nine run win – their fourth win of the tournament – and with it a place in the semi-finals of the Lanka Premier League.Having been set an imposing target of 208, at 47 for 2 in the sixth over, the Gladiators were in danger of falling behind a required rate that was already quite steep.Enter Azam Khan, whose 24-ball 55 would transform the entire innings, as the Gladiators, who had been second-favourites for much of the game, were all of a sudden looking the side likelier to pull off a win.Khan and Gunathilaka would put on 94 together, though it wasn’t a stand without its moments of peril, with Gunathilaka and Azam dropped twice and once respectively. Had those catches been taken at the first time of asking though, the game would not have been nearly as close an affair.For the Gladiators, the result, which is their fifth consecutive defeat and one which sees them rooted to the bottom of the table, will be particularly worrying in the context of their seeming inability to impact the game with the ball.At no point in the Viiking innings were they put under any sort of pressure by the Gladiators’ bowlers, with the 110-run opening stand between Niroshan Dickwella and Upul Tharanga coming with neither batsman required to undertake any real risk.And by the time Dickwella fell, midway through the 13th over, the platform was set for Dasun Shanaka – who rarely needs an invitation to attack – to have free rein. Shanaka would continue his rich vein of form, smashing a 21-ball 37 to propel the Viiking past 200.Niroshan Dickwella clobbers one away•LPL

Stars of the dayWhile his team remains rooted to the bottom of the table, captain Gunathilaka is peaking the heady heights at the top of the tournament top-scorer charts. The most distinctive feature of Gunathilaka’s batting is his uncanny ability to split the field; while other batsmen focus on clearing the fielders in the deep, Gunathilaka takes pleasure in dissecting them with forensic precision.The big difference for the Gladiators from their previous games was that Gunathilaka was finally provided substantial support at the other end. Azam’s 55 came at a rate comfortably beyond 200, as he utilised a combination of his powerful frame and deft wristwork to grab the momentum – that had until that point been firmly in the Viiking camp – and, more importantly, give Gunathilaka the freedom to play at his own pace.For the Viiking, the big positive would have been the return to form of Dickwella. With several of his national team-mates having already cashed in with big scores, it wouldn’t be surprising if Dickwella’s 50 runs across four games had left him with a minor case of FOMO. A 37-ball 60 later however, he will be feeling much better about himself, though it owed as much to the Gladiators’ lack of penetration as it did to Dickwella hunkering down and playing more percentage cricket – he attempted, uncharacteristically, just one scoop all innings. But seeing how effective this new approach proved, the Viiking will be hoping for more of the same for the rest of the tournament.Turning pointAnwar Ali bowling the penultimate over of the Gladiators chase. With 21 required of 12 balls, and Gunathilaka at the crease, the odds were in the Gladiators’ favour. But Ali would call upon every ounce of experience to give away just four runs, while picking up the crucial wicket of Gunathilaka – despite having dropped him once already in the over.The big missGunathilaka was dropped thrice, once each at the start of the 11th and 13th overs, and then incredibly once more in the penultimate over of the game. While the first was an admittedly tough chance, smacked flat and hard to Ashen Bandara at deep midwicket, the second was not as easy to forgive, as Ramesh Mendis running in from deep square leg spilled a slog-sweep that was miscued high into the air. The final drop though looked to have been the most painful of the lot, Ali missing a skied return catch in the penultimate over of the game, but he would get his man two balls later to ensure the Viiking would ultimately not pay for their lax efforts in the field.Where the teams standWith the Viiking joining the Jaffna Stallions on eight points, and bottom side Gladiators now only able to get a maximum of six points, both the Viiking and Stallions have become the first side to qualify for the semi-finals. For the Gladiators, they need to start winning and also hope results go their way, with their game against the Kandy Tuskers likely to be a play-off of sorts.

CSA is working to reassure Sri Lanka Cricket that its bio-bubble arrangements are secure

Andrew Fidel Fernando09-Dec-2020Cricket South Africa (CSA) is working to reassure Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) that its bio-bubble arrangements are secure, as SLC reconsider the forthcoming tour to South Africa over Covid-19 concerns. As things stand, SLC is considering withdrawing from the tour, or offering to host South Africa at home instead of going to South Africa.SLC’s concerns over the tour’s safety were sparked by England’s withdrawal from their tour of South Africa. It is largely the Sri Lanka board, however, rather than the players, for whom CSA’s Covid-19 protocols are a worry. Essentially, SLC cannot afford for players to come back unwell, because Sri Lanka are due to play England in a Test in Galle ten days after their scheduled return from South Africa. The England Test series, which was already postponed once, is vital to the health of SLC’s finances following a tough 2020. SLC is unwilling to risk that home series for the South Africa tour.Sri Lanka’s medical team were in touch with South Africa’s medical officers on Tuesday, in order to ascertain whether the bio-bubble arrangements in South Africa were sufficient. Sri Lanka’s team physician Dr Daminda Attanayake said that SLC’s medical staff were insisting on stricter protocols than CSA had initially planned. Medical officers from both teams spoke on Tuesday.”I have to bring the [Sri Lankan] players back from South Africa without a single positive case,” Dr Attanayake said. “We’ve requested [South Africa’s] protocols be identical to the bio-bubble protocols we have been using for the LPL (Lanka Premier League). We’ve been successful with those. Players have tested positive but they’ve been isolated. We’re requesting these protocols be followed not just by our team, but theirs as well.”In addition, Dr Attanayake said, SLC’s medical staff will ask that even the cleaning staff in the hotels the teams are staying at be placed in the bubble, so that the virus cannot be brought in from outside. In any case, even before England’s withdrawal, SLC had asked for tougher health protocols than the ECB had.SLC’s medical staff will also speak to the ECB’s medical staff on Wednesday afternoon, in order to gain a clearer picture on the nature of CSA’s protocols. SLC’s medical officers will make their recommendations on the South Africa tour to the SLC following that meeting. The board has largely been led by medical opinion during the pandemic, and have been among the more reticent in the world to resume international cricket. If Dr Attanayake and her colleagues are satisfied that CSA’s arrangements are sufficient, the tour is likely to go ahead as scheduled.On Tuesday, CSA’s acting CEO Kugandrie Govender had confirmed the boards were in touch over health arrangements: “I’ve spoken to the SLC CEO today as planned. We are obviously providing them with information to give all their stakeholders, including their health authorities, the reassurances they need,” she said.South Africa are due to host Australia and Pakistan later in the summer, and cannot themselves afford for England’s withdrawal to spiral into a string of cancellations.

Both openers failed to reach double figures in either innings of first Test

Valkerie Baynes20-Jan-2021Joe Root is backing his young openers to come through the tough initiation of a maiden Test tour of Asia stronger for the experience.Dom Sibley and Zak Crawley both failed to reach double figures in either innings of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle and both fell to spin, the same spinner in fact, each time.Sibley got a faint edge to a ball from left-arm spinner Lasith Embuldeniya which drifted in and spun away slightly for a slips catch while on 4 in the first innings before Crawley chipped to mid-off for 9. On 2 in the second innings, Sibley appeared stunned by Embuldeniya’s arm ball which took the top of off stump, and Crawley fell for 8 to an ill-conceived drive taken at gully.Related

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But Root believed Sibley and Crawley, who are 13 and nine matches respectively into their Test careers, were in the best position to learn fast.”They are doing all the right things in practice and giving themselves the best opportunity when they walk out to play,” Root said. “It didn’t quite fall for them this time but they are quick and smart learners who will be looking to turn things round in the next game.”It is very exciting that the work ethic is there and it is a great chance for them to adjust quickly to these conditions and show everyone that they’ve got the game to perform out here. At times in these conditions out here, opening the batting can be the best time to bat. On that wicket in the second innings, it was probably the trickiest time to bat. It is very rare that is the case and they will have to learn from that.”With regular opener Rory Burns headed to India after paternity leave as England begin the second Test, also in Galle, on Friday, Crawley, who scored a warm-up match century on the aborted tour of Sri Lanka early last year, can return to his “favoured position” at No. 3 when that swing of the tour begins. But a solid performance at the very top of the order beforehand would be a welcome confidence boost.Likewise, Sibley will be keen to turn things around before facing sterner opposition in India.”I see it as an opportunity to show that they can play in these conditions and I also see it as being part and parcel of Test cricket,” Root added. “You need to know how to play in these conditions and not only will it benefit them long term playing in Asia but also in matches where pitches do deteriorate late on anywhere in the world and start spinning drastically. You’ve got to have a game for it.”These tours and these games are all about winning but the experience you get can really benefit you further in your career if you have the right attitude and go about it in the right manner. I feel like they are doing that and that is the best thing they can do, keep wanting to get better, keep wanting to learn and take as much from the experience as they can.”Sri Lanka plead for the wicket of Dom Sibley•SLC

Root will expect ruthlessness from his side in the second Test against Sri Lanka.England won the first Test by seven wickets early on the last day but, by Root’s own admission, it was by no means a perfect performance. Having skittled Sri Lanka for 135 in the first innings and then put on 421 in response, built on Root’s 228 and supported by debutant Dan Lawrence’s 73 at No. 5, they were made to work considerably harder as Sri Lanka posted a second-innings 359.”You look at the best teams in the world who are winning consistently and that’s a trait you see over and over again and that is something we want, to be associated with being a side who – when they get on top – can see it through,” Root said.England secured victory comfortably in the end and Root wants to see more of the same when the sides return to Galle, especially ahead of four Tests against India, who vanquished Australia at the Gabba to seal a thrilling 2-1 series triumph.”India have got tremendous depth in all departments,” Root said. “They’re a side with resilience and character and we know we will have to be at our best when we go out there.”We’ve certainly played some good cricket and are shaping up very nicely, now it’s a question of whether we can carry on in the manner we are and continue to improve.Root was at pains not to look much beyond the match at hand, however, where England will contemplate picking Olly Stone to make only his second Test appearance as they look to rotate their seamers.”It’s certainly an option,”. Root said. “We couldn’t be more impressed with how he’s gone about his business. He looks fit, strong, he’s bowling quick and he’s given a very good account of himself.”There might be an opportunity for him to play on this tour, whether that’s this week or further down the line. Of course it would be nice to see him play more Test cricket and all he can do is make sure he’s ready to go if that’s the right call.”Root hinted that spinners Jack Leach and Dom Bess will hold their places, despite the England squad having three more reserve spinners on tour.”With the little cricket that both of them had played, I thought they grew as the game went on and got better and better,” Root said. “I expect that to be the same here as the practice days go on and the game goes on. The more they bowl and the more they find themselves in the pressure situations on the field then the better they will be for it and we will see them get better as the week unfolds.”The fact they came out of the game with a lot of wickets between them is really pleasing and will give them a lot of confidence to hopefully speed that process up.”